Stringed musical instrument



E. RE.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED DEC.24, 1919.

1,340,628. tented May 18, 1920..

vweuto'a Enrico Be 1 than ENRICO RE, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Application filed December 24, 1919. Serial No. 347,149.

b all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ENRICO Rn, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Camden, in the county of Camden and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain improvements in stringed musical instruments, and it is an improvement on the type of instrument as particularly described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 291,468, filed April 21, 1919.

It is an object of the invention to provide an instrument of this general character having novel and improved means whereby the tail piece is yieldingly supported together with means for holding the tail piece in working position, and whereby said tail piece may be adjusted relative to the body to tighten or loosen the strings as the occasions of practice may require, and independently of the keys of the instrument.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved instrument whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device rendered simpler, less expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The novel features of my invention will hereinafter be definitely claimed.

In order that my invention may be the better understood, 1 will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in top plan of an instrument constructed in accordance with an embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the tail end of the instrument as herein embodied.

As disclosed in the accompanying drawings, B denotes a body of a stringed musical instrument, such as a guitar, and which is provided within an end wall with a cutaway portion 1, the side walls of which being substantially in parallelism and extending transversely of said wall. Fitting within the cut-away portion or recess 1 is a block 2 adapted to have slidin movement toward or from the face 3 of tne instrument. At substantially its center, the outer edge face of the block 1 is provided with a socket 1 in which threads a shank 5. The shank 5 crtends through the portion of the end wall below the cut-away portion or recess 1 and is in swivel connection therewith, as indicated at 6. The outer end portion of the shank 5 is provided with the head '7 whereby .the shank 5 may be readily and conviently rotated. Upon rotating the shank 5 in the desired direction, the block 2 may be moved in a direction toward or from the face of the body 15, in accordance with the requirements of practice, and for a purpose which will hereinafter be more particularly referred to.

Suitably secured to the block 2 is a flexible sheet or plate 8 of desired material and which extends beyond the upper or inner edge face of the block 2 and overlies the face This plate or sheet 8 also passes over a roller 9, intersecting the upper portion of the cut-out portion or recess 1 and suitably supported for rotary movement. The free end portion of the plate or sheet 8 has suitably secured thereto the tail piece T of metal or other desired material and which includes the upstanding bead or corrugation 10 disposed in a direction transverse of the plate or sheet 8. The wall of the bead. or corrugation 10 is provided with the longitudinally spaced slots 11 to afford means whereby the strings S may be engaged with the tail piece T, and which strings are held against displacement through the instrumentality of the plugs 12 or the like.

Extending longitudinally through the bead or corrugation 10 and overlying the plate or sheet 8 is a rod 14, extending beyond the opposite ends of the tail piece and suitably engaged with the extended portions of the rod 14: are retractal members 15 preferably elastic bands. Said members or hands 15 extend rearwardly from the tail piece T and have their opposite end portions suitably anchored to the body B and preferably at points interiorly thereof, and for which reason the face 3 is provided with the openings 16 through which the members or bands 15 extend.

The tail piece T and the coacting parts as herein disclosed are particularly adapted for use in connection with an instrument having a folding'neck, such as is embodied in my prior pending application, Serial No. 291,4:68, filed April 21, 1919. When the neck (not shown) is to be folded inwardly into the body B, the shank 5 is entirely disengaged from the block 2. WVhen the neck is swung into the body, the retractal members 15 permit the tail piece T to move over the face 3 a distance suflicient to allow the neck to extend within the body without disengaging any of the strings S. It is understood that the block 2 can be readily moved from within the cut-away portion of recess 1 in order to permit the desired inward movement of the tail piece T.

lVhen the neck has been returned to its normal or operative position, the members 15 serve automatically to return the tail piece T so that the shank 5 may be readily and conveniently engaged with the block 2. Upon requisite rotation of the shank 5, the strings S can be readily and conveniently tightened.

It is also possible with my improved device as herein embodied to readily and conveniently vary the key or pitch of the strings S. WVhen it is desired to raise or lower the pitch of the instrument, it is only necessary to impart the requisite movement to the block 2.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that an instrument constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A stringed musical instrument comprising a body, a block slidably engaged with the end wall of the body, means for imparting sliding movement to the block, a flexible member secured to the block and overlying a face of the body, and a tail piece carried by the flexible member.

2. A stringed musical instrument comprising a body, a block slidably engaged with the end wall of the body, means for imparting sliding movement to the block, a flexible member secured to the block and overlying a face of the body, and a tail piece carried by the flexible member, and additional means coacting with the tail piece for urging the same toward the end wall.

3. A stringed musical instrument comprising a body, a block slidably engaged with the end wall of the body, means for imparting sliding movement to the block, a flexible member secured to the block and overlying a face of the body, and a tail piece carried by the flexible member, and retractal means coacting with the tail piece for urging the same toward the end wall.

4. A stringed musical instrument comprising a body having a recess in its end wall, a block loosely mounted in said recess, means engaging said block for moving the same relative to a face of the body, and a tail piece flexibly connected with the block.

5. A stringed musical instrument comprising a body having a recess in its end wall, a block loosely mounted in said recess, means engaging said block for moving the same relative to a face of the body, and a flexible member engaging with said block and overlying the face of the body, a tail piece carried by the flexible member, and a roller intersecting the recess and with which the flexible member engages.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

ENRICO RE. 

